


Angels in Cardiff

by TorchWhoLockian_Potterhead



Category: Doctor Who, Torchwood
Genre: Bit of Fluff, Multi, Pre Children of Earth, Some feels, Weeping Angels - Freeform, jack flirting with river
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-04-12
Packaged: 2018-01-10 22:31:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 11,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1165340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TorchWhoLockian_Potterhead/pseuds/TorchWhoLockian_Potterhead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto gets a call from one of his ex-colleagues about Wester Drumlins, a house in London where cars have been found abandoned outside and once, a blue police box. Mysterious statues are in the basement and Jack takes one back to the Hub. Big mistake...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unexpected Phone Call

**Author's Note:**

> I do not claim to own Torchwood or Ianto would still be alive and he would be the one that ended up immortal in MD instead of Rex and everything would be happy Janto and rainbows forever! :'(

**Ianto**

I was sitting on the desk by the coffee machine, brewing yet another cappuccino for Jack. It was his best excuse to get me alone. Seriously, he needed to wake up and smell the coffee (as it were), Gwen knew exactly what we did (well, not exactly!) and quite frankly it was a waste of good coffee. I couldn't complain, though; it was better than waiting in front of a screen all day.

My mobile and the coffee machine went off simultaneously with a ring. I held my phone to my ear with my shoulder so I could carry on making coffee.

"Hello?" I spoke first.

"Is this Ianto Jones?" The voice asked. It was vaguely familiar.

"Yes, who is it?"

"James. James Matthews," I only knew one James Matthews and he was-

"From Torchwood 1?" I asked.

"The one and only," He said happily "I've been lumbered with the job of delegating work Torchwood 1 should be doing between everybody else: UNIT, the other Torchwood bases and you. You're well overdue your turn so you can't complain."

"So what is it we have to do?"

"There is a house, Wester Drumlins in London. The police have been keeping an eye on it for a while because people have been going missing. Their cars would just be left outside. Nobody who has been into that house has ever been seen again," James attempted to generate suspicion.

"So? That's probably just some criminal," I was sceptical.

"That's what we thought..." He left a dramatic pause, "Until they found a blue police box outside."

"But that means-"

"Yes, the Doctor was there and he went missing too! The trouble is that by the time Torchwood got wind of the TARDIS it had vanished."

"Oh," Jack would _not_ be pleased, "How long ago was this?"

"About a week ago. I've sent you some basic details, maps and stuff. Good luck," James hung up before I had a chance to back out of this.

I put the phone back into my pocket and found a saucer for Jack's coffee, silently praying that Jack wouldn't bite my head off. **_Well, here goes nothing_** , I thought as I gently pushed open Jack's office door.

**Gwen**

I was just minding my own business, toying with the idea of phoning Rhys, when I heard raised voices coming from Jack's office. They weren't raised voices of the usual kind, the kind which made me wish that Jack and Ianto were just friends, they were actual, angry voices. That, at least, meant it was safe to investigate.

"Jack? Hi. I was just-" I peered around the door and found Jack looking peeved and glaring at Ianto.

Ianto had his hand on Jack's shoulder and was attempting to calm him down, "It's not my fault, Sir. We have to go and you know it."

"Go where?" I asked.

Jack ignored me, "I know but," he sighed, "I just don't need this right now. Who's going to stay here and monitor the rift? What if something goes wrong here?"

I tried again to catch their attention, "Guys? Backtrack please."

"Oh. Gwen. Hi," Jack pretended to notice me for the first time.

"Well," Ianto began.

"He got a call from an old friend," Jack continued.

"James Matthews from Torchwood 1," Ianto added.

"It's sweet," I smiled.

"What is?" Jack asked.

"You guys finishing each other's sentences like that," I hoped a spell of innocence would lighten the mood.

Jack sighed grumpily and carried on, "James has to delegate work around that would have gone to Torchwood 1 before it was destroyed. We have to go to an old house in London to investigate some disappearances."

"Where they found the TARDIS," Ianto argued.

" _Might have_ found the TARDIS," Jack countered, "and then they lost it anyway!"

"Err," I had missed something here "TARDIS?"

"The Doctor's ship," Ianto explained.

Jack smiled nostalgically, "It's bigger on the inside, you know. The Doctor told me it has a library, a games room and even a swimming pool!" He grinned as he reminisced.

I pored over the notes, maps and pictures that we had been given. This seemed like quite an interesting project, actually. I looked back to my colleagues, "You two should go," They both stared at me like I was speaking Swahili, "Treat it like a holiday, you know. I'll stay here and tell you if anything happens."

"I'm not sure..." Jack was, as ever, non-committal.

"I think it sounds fun," Ianto smiled hopefully at Jack. I could see Jack was wavering.

"Well...OK," Jack conceded and was rewarded by a hug from his... boyfriend?

'Another job well done by the Gwen-ster,' I thought to myself.


	2. "Visors are cool!"

**River**

"Sweetie, you're doing it all wrong! No wonder you never end up in the right place. You never even use the sat-nav," I really was fed up with my husband; he never listened to me when I taught him how to fly his own TARDIS.

"But I like going to the wrong place," The Doctor frowned defensively at me, "It's more fun."

"Not when we're supposed to be taking my parents to Barcelona," I was starting to think we would never get there.

I snatched the controls and slammed the brakes down, parking her neatly in the back garden on the patio.

"Doctor!" Amy shoved past me and practically strangled my husband which left me to an awkward greeting with my husband.

"Hello Dad," I smiled, epically unperturbed by the situation.

"Err, River, hi," Rory fidgeted nervously before walking over to the Doctor.

I spoke to Amy, "Mother!" I hugged her.

"So?" She smiled expectantly.

"What?" I asked

"Where-or when-are we going?" She asked.

"Barcelona!" The Doctor announced, beaming, "Not Barcelona the city, Barcelona the planet!" Seemingly from out of nowhere my hubby produced a hideous green sun visor and donned it goofily, "I wear a visor now. Visors are cool."


	3. A Less-Than-Fun Meeting with James Matthews

**Jack**

"London. Only about 50 years since I've been here last," I smiled at Ianto, determined to enjoy this trip for his sake if not my own.

"Where first?" Ianto shifted gear and turned a tight corner.

"Let's go to see James, then I can give him a piece of my mind," I was still annoyed at having to do somebody else's job.

"Be nice Jack," Ianto offered me his hand and I took it happily.

"Seeing as it's you," I squeezed his hand.

"Here we are," Ianto stopped the car and got out.

Walking down the corridors, I felt a wave of unexpected delight. It took a moment for me to realise why; the last time I had been in an office was about a year ago when we were hunting down what we thought were cluster bombs for John Hart. I felt like I had just enough courage to ask him on a date. I remembered how nervous I was and how well it had gone and I actually laughed out loud which made Ianto raise one eyebrow at me in confusion.

I began to explain and never finished the word 'date' as he pulled me into a kiss. His hands were on my neck and mine on his. I let myself be drawn further and further from reality until only he remained. All I could feel was his breath on my face, his hold around my shoulders, his body close to mine. I couldn't even remember where I was.

**Ianto**

There I was, kissing Jack, right in the centre of the corridor. We were metres away from James' door but I didn't know; I wasn't paying attention to anything but Jack.

"Well this is cosy," James smirked as we broke apart.

"Oh. Err, hi James," I flushed "This is-"

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack held out his hand and James reluctantly shook it.

"Right," James led us into his office, moving boxes and papers so we could sit down. "Well, I can't help you all that much, all I know was sent in those documents," I was glad it was turning out to be a short visit, "I could go with you but I wouldn't want to break up the happy little gay thing you've got going on here."

I wanted to shout, to scream at him, to tell him we were so much more than a 'happy little gay thing' but that would probably have made things so much worse.

"Well," Jack coldly held James' gaze, "Our time is up, I think. We won't be meeting again." Jack swept out of the room and I had to force myself not to swoon.

I slammed the door behind me and strode off with Jack. I was failing to hide my hurt.

"Hey," Jack met my eyes and smiled comfortingly "why don't we go to the hotel and unpack?" He winked and my heart fluttered and turned a back flip.

The night was, as ever, not long enough. Jack decided to spend the next day sightseeing and that night I fell asleep, shattered, in his arms.


	4. Wester Drumlins

**Angel**

I was stone.

I did not know how long I had been stone or when I would be released. All I knew was they tricked us and we were all stone.

I could think, see and hear but I could not feel, smell, taste or move. We were alone in the house, forced to stare at each other, only hearing ants scuttling across the floor. I could not breathe but I did not need to. It was quite novel, actually.

**_Did you hear that?_** The angel to my left thought.

**_Yes,_** The angel opposite me answered.

We all had, we knew that. Our senses were linked as well as our thoughts. That was how we communicated silently. They only used the formality of conversation because there was so little to do since we got stuck.

**_Yes thanks for clearing that up,_** One of them thought sarcastically to me.

**_Sorry,_** I hadn't realised I was thinking out loud. **_So anyway, what do you think it was?_**

I wondered if it was a human, like we used to feast on. I thought it could be a large ant. No I didn't. It was another angel and it was a stupid idea.

**_Oi!_** An angel, presumably the one who had had the idea, thought. I must have been thinking aloud again.

"I don't think much of the decor." A real, human, male voice said.

"I dunno," Another male mused "a couple of hundred years ago this was cutting edge, I used to live somewhere like this before the war." His pronunciation was strange, it didn't fit with the area.

**_They're coming from upstairs._** I stated the obvious.

**_Maybe they'll move us!_ **

**_We could finally feed!_ **

**_Calm down,_** Our self-appointed leader thought. We **_don't know anything yet. They might not even come down here. Keep your heads, angels, and be ready to feast on anything you can._**

**Jack**

"No signs of life," I told Ianto, "Yet."

"Hoping that's a good thing," He smiled in that beautiful, hopeful way he does and I was obliged to grin back.

"You look upstairs, I'll go check the garden," I pointed to the stairs and Ianto obeyed.

Everything was hidden behind a thick layer of foliage. There was nothing strange accept a phone that had been left on the grass. I left the garden and, passing the stairway I found a door. I opened it and saw some dusty stairs down to a basement. I heard Ianto coming down to find me so I paused in the doorway.

"Over here," I called.

"Lovely," He put on his best 'I'm not happy' face, "A spooky basement in a creepy, old house where people go missing."

I took his hand and led him down the staircase.

**Ianto**

"So did you find anything?" I asked Jack as I avoided yet another cobweb.

"Nope, not really." Jack sounded strangely calm.

"Mind if I take a look later? They say I have a good eye for detail." I asked.

"Oh," His voice became playful "Maybe we should test that out when we get back to- _wow._ " He stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs.

"What is it? Jack?" I peered in a vain attempt to see.

Jack eventually found his legs and slowly descended, allowing me to view the absurd sight in the basement. Four Victorian-style, grey, stone angels were standing in a circle but they weren't your traditional guardian angels, they had outstretched claws and snarly faces. They were all staring at each other but I had the feeling there used to be something-or some _one_ -in the centre of their group.

"What _are_ they?" I turned to Jack.

"Your guess is as good as mine; I've never seen them before," Jack shrugged his shoulders, "I think we're gonna have to take one on a little trip to Wales to find out. You feeling strong?" Jack smiled in the way I found adorable, with one side of his mouth turned up and one eyebrow raised.

**Angel**

**_New plan, everybody,_** Our leader thought to us **_Nobody move. I'm getting strange energy from the one in the large coat. We ought to find out what they want with us._**

The humans lifted me and carried me up the stairs and attached me to the top of a long, black, rectangular vehicle. They got into the vehicle and started moving down a small, empty, artificial path. I could hear what they were saying if I strained my ears.

"You heard from Gwen yet, Jack?" One asked

"Nope but thanks for reminding me. I should tell her we're on our way back," The man who must have been called Jack answered. There was a quiet click, "Gwen? You there?"

A muffled female voice with an odd sing-song quality said, "Yes, hi Jack. Before you say anything I'm sorry I haven't called. I've been busy and nothing's happened. Everything's fine and-"

"It's OK," Jack laughed, "I was just going to tell you we're on our way back."

"I'll check where you are on the tracker," Gwen paused, "A few hours away. I'd better tidy up. I'll order some pizza when you're close."

"Meat feast please," Jack said.

"Yum, pizza!" The other man called.

Gwen laughed, "Typical Ianto! See you boys later."

There was more meaningless chatter for what must have been a few hours and then the vehicle stopped.


	5. "DOCTOR!"

**Rory**

"Oh," The Doctor frowned in a disappointed way, "We're going to have to have to make a slight detour."

"Why?" I asked.

"Run out of charge," River made use of the slow drawl she often employed for explaining something she thought obvious to those she thought stupid, "I was waiting for you to realise, sweetie."

"So what do we do?" Amy asked.

"Find a source of power big enough for a TARDIS like, say, a rift in space and time, preferably on Earth in your present day or thereabouts and close-ish to London so..." River paused and flicked a switch, "Cardiff Bay!"

"River! You are-" The Doctor began slowly.

"Right...again," River smirked and was about to turn the door handle of the TARDIS when-

"DOCTOR!" The TARDIS door flung open and a man stood there, haloed by daylight. His navy-blue military coat flew in the breeze and he turned to me, "Hel-lo! Nice new body!" He was looking me over and... was he flirting? "Not so sure about the nose though," Was he coming on to me? This was all rather odd

"Doctor?" I turned to him, "Who _is_ this?"

"Rory, this is Jack," The Doctor pointed to the man, "Jack, this is Rory," He pointed to me, "His wife Amy," He gestured to her, "and their daughter, _my_ wife Professor River Song and I," He held his arms wide, removing his visor, and beamed, "am the Doctor." He bowed as though he had just done something worthy of applause.

The man called Jack attempted to cover up his embarrassment and quietly apologized to me before running up to the Doctor, grabbing his head and kissing him on the lips.

"Watch the hair!" He frowned momentarily.

"Watch the husband!" River lifted her gun to Jack.

Jack laughed and held up an identical weapon "Snap."

River raised one eyebrow, grinning. The Doctor breathed in deeply, ready for a lecture, "Interesting story about those, actually. You see the place they were made-"

"Grows bananas," Jack rolled his eyes and Amy laughed, "We know."


	6. An Angel in the Hub

**Gwen**

"Gwen," Ianto's voice came from the door, "We're back!"

I jogged over to Ianto and hugged him, "Hi! How was it?"

"Well," He was walking towards the exit to unpack the Torchwood stuff from the SUV, I presumed. I followed as I listened, "First we went to see James Matthews and he wasn't much help. Just kept telling us stuff we already knew from the documents," Ianto frowned.

I stopped and gasped in shock at the strange statue fixed to the roof of the car, "What the _hell_ is that when it's at home?!"

"God knows," Ianto started to unfasten the straps attaching it to the SUV, "Seen Jack yet?"

"No, why?" I ran to the other side to help.

"Just wondering. He's probably in his office unpacking and breaking in yet _another_ pair of new shoes."

"He bought _shoes_ when you were in London?" I laughed.

From across the car I had a good look at Ianto's expression. As he told me where they had been around London, his face lit up. The trip had been good for Ianto; I just hoped the same could be said for Jack when he got back from wherever he was hiding.

"That's...really...heavy!" I panted under the weight of the stone angel as we carried it into the Hub. I sighed in relief after letting the statue down on the lift, "So where are we putting this?"

"The cells," Ianto said, then seeing the look on my face and added, "Jack's orders. Just in case."

"If you say so," I braced myself and hauled the stone thing into the cells.


	7. "A what point?"

**Amy**

"You're _so_ not her mother! You're way too young!" This Jack bloke was a real charmer. Rory wasn't very happy though, bless him; he got jealous when Jack flirted with me and irritated when Jack flirted with him.

River sat next to us on the bench, "You're looking pretty good for your age yourself," She laughed at Jack's raised eyebrow, "The Doctor told me," She explained.

I was clearly missing something here, "Told you what?"

"Well," River turned to me, "while you two were gossiping about our family, Rory, the Doctor and I were talking about Jack. Apparently he's a fixed point in time and space."

"A what point?" I asked. Should I know what on Earth they were on about?

Jack laughed, "A fixed point in time and space. I'm immortal."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" I could never tell what was true anymore. Since meeting the Doctor, anything was plausible.

"Nope. But I'd rather you didn't test it out, it hurts like hell," He laughed but his smile did not reach his eyes.


	8. 'G...Gary? No. G...G...Gertrude?'

**Ianto**

We locked the statue in the cell and Gwen reminded me of the pizza waiting for us upstairs.

"It'll go cold if you don't hurry up!" She smiled complacently.

"I'll just go and find Jack. He's probably warming up his office chair and computer," I left Gwen to set the table while I walked to Jack's office, "Jack, pizza's here," I called.

No answer.

"Jack?" I opened the office door with closed eyes, anticipating the inevitable order for me to get out.

Nothing.

Slowly I opened one eye, then the other.

He wasn't there.

His chair was cold, he hadn't been in here since we left, "Tell me he hasn't gone away again," I hastily ran back to Gwen, "He's gone," I said bluntly.

"It's the Doctor, Isn't it?" She stared at the ground.

"Probably," I knew I had to find him. I silently prayed he was still on this planet.

I ran out of the Tourist Information, desperate to halt Jack's plan.

"Hello there," A man said. I whipped around. He wore a tweed jacket, white shirt and red bow tie. His hair was massive and he was speaking to me, "You, you work here, don't you?"

"Wha-err-yes." I scanned the vicinity for that coat I knew and craved. Our eyes met.

"Hello, I'm the-" The man gave up trying to introduce himself when I sprinted away from him towards Jack.

I clung to him, "You were going to leave us again," I didn't ask Jack, I told him. I leant back and searched his eyes.

"No," He lied to my face.

Didn't he see the heartbreak I felt every time he lied to me?

"Yes you were," I said coldly, "Don't lie to me Jack," I glared accusingly.

"I was going to come back," He faltered almost imperceptively. Only I, the one person truly close to Jack, would have seen that; his defensive anger was a very well sewn mask to hide the deeply buried fear and guilt that I alone was allowed to see, "It's a time machine, Ianto!"

"That's not the point and you know it," I allowed him to see my expression soften just a little, "So where is the Doctor, then?" I had only seen the Time Lord a few months ago and he definitely wasn't here.

"I'm the Doctor!" The man in the bow tie grinned like he had said something clever.

"Seriously, where is he?" I wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"That's him," A redhead with a Scottish accent spoke. I hadn't noticed her before.

"It's true, Ianto," Jack smiled and I reluctantly allowed my heart to melt, "Time Lords have this thing which lets them cheat death. It's called regeneration."

"All the cells in my body dies and is replaced. I walk away alive with new looks and a new personality. All I keep is my memories," The Doctor explained.

A man in a body warmer approached, "So what's going on now?"

"Wait," The Doctor ignored the man, treating him like useless background noise. I empathised, "Wasn't there a girl with you as well?"

As if on cue Gwen charged over towards us, aiming for Jack.

"Hello," The Doctor held out his hand, "I'm the Doctor."

Gwen whipped around and lashed out with her open right hand. It struck the Doctor's cheek.

**Doctor**

Ouch! This girl was strong! She had a name, so I recalled. What was it? G...Gary? No. G...G...Gertrude? That wasn't it either. G...G...G...Gwen! She backed away from me and caught her breath.

"You!" She scowled.

Ianto placed a gentle hand on her upper back and guided her off, muttering words of pacification as he went. He sat her down on a bench nearby but out of earshot.

"I'll have to go and talk to them in a minute," Jack smiled a melancholy, guilty smile.

"What did I do to her?" I asked. I was not famed for my memory but I was pretty sure that the last time I had seen Gwen I had saved her whole planet from the Daleks.

"It's my fault, really," Jack spoke with a hint of graveness in his voice, "Whenever you show up I drop everything and go with you, no matter what. It scares them because they don't know where I am, when I am or whether I'm coming back."

"Ah," I hadn't thought of that.

"I'd better go calm them down," Jack's brow furrowed as he trudged towards his team.

"Jack, wait!" River appeared behind me, "We could always take them with us," She grinned and wound an arm around my waist.

Jack beamed gratefully and ran as fast as the wind to his team.

"River!" I hissed, "That wasn't in the plan!"

"Sweetie," She stroked my cheek, calming me somewhat, "Neither was Jack."

**Gwen  
**

"Calm down, it's alright," Ianto was guiding me to a bench.

Why? Because I had slapped the Doctor which, I thought, was completely just.

As I sat down I processed the fact that the Doctor looked completely different.

"He's an alien with a new face," I stated.

"Yep," Ianto was infuriatingly calm.

"Why aren't you angry?" I snapped.

"I am but I trust Jack. He came back for us before, he'll do it again. He wouldn't leave forever," Ianto sighed.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Jack reached down and hugged Ianto from behind, "Guess what."

"What," I barked.

"The Doctor has invited you to come with us!" He grinned.

Ianto grabbed Jack's head and kissed him deeply while I frowned, secretly feeling ecstatic at the thought of travelling with the Doctor.

Ianto followed even closer to Jack than usual and I lagged behind them as we made our way back to the others.


	9. Introductions and Something Wrong... So Wrong

**Amy**

"Well this is a weird day," I sat down next to Rory in the TARDIS.

"I can't believe River invited them along," Rory's brow furrowed.

"I know!" I hadn't bargained for this, Captain flirt and his spy team on a trip to God knows when with us!

I decided the best plan of action was to go talk to Gwen, the most sane-looking of the group. I didn't hold high hopes for the rest of the day but I guessed I should make the most of it.

"Gwen, is it?" I asked her.

"Yes, err, Amy," Gwen smiled as she answered.

"Did you say you'd met the Doctor before?" I asked, walking vaguely away from the group.

"Well, not exactly..." Gwen told me of the time she, along with Ianto, had single-handedly faced a Dalek.

A shiver ran down my spine as I thought of those creatures.

**Jack**

"Doctor," Ianto smiled hesitantly, "do you mind if I-?" He indicated to the TARDIS door, "I've heard so much about it."

"Of course!" The Doctor could scarcely contain his glee, "I'll show you. After you," He held out his hand, inviting Ianto inside.

"Well," River's blonde curls bounced as she turned to me, "it looks like it's just you and me."

I smirked, "You'd best be careful saying that or someone could get the wrong idea!"

River raised one eyebrow. I could sense that she was thinking what I was thinking, that an opportunity to talk to someone who spoke my language was too good to miss.

"And what idea would that be?" She looked at me in mock disapproval.

"Why don't we go to my office and find out?" I winked.

"As tempting as that may be, I'm married," River smiled, knowing as well as I did that this conversation was never going to lead to anything and was meaningless.

"So am I" True enough, even if I was a widower, "Twice." At least.

"Yes but I'm married to somebody who's _alive_ ," A flicker of almost disappointment flashed across her face. "So how are you going to apologise to Ianto?"

"What for?" I searched my vast memory for the answer.

"The flirting. I mean, it's obvious you're together," She stated.

"How did you-?" I asked.

"He's so jealous, bless him. It doesn't take a genius!" One side of her mouth lifted, "But I figured it out anyway."

I had to bite my cheek to keep my mind earthed. When Ianto got jealous it really turned me on and I knew I had been pushing my luck. The worst part was it was all for my own selfish reasons yet I couldn't stop because it made me feel so wanted.

**Rory**

"Voila!" The Doctor held his arms wide, revelling in the opportunity to show off his TARDIS.

"Nothing quite prepares you for this moment," Ianto looked like he was meeting his celebrity hero.

"You mean you've heard of the TARDIS before?" I asked.

"Yes. I worked for an institute set up specifically to capture the Doctor," He sat by me. "Torchwood, it's called. I still work for them but the motives are a lot less sinister now. There's a space-time rift over Cardiff and it keeps dropping off bits of the past, the future and the alien. Our job is to protect the rest of the world from it."

We got chatting about ourselves and our experiences of the supernatural and out of the corner of my eye I saw the Doctor get frustrated at not being the centre of attention and leave. He probably went to talk to Jack or River.

"So you're the Doctor's father-in-law?" Ianto was suitably shocked.

"Scary, isn't it?" I mused, "So are you...'with' anyone?" I asked.

"Well," Ianto paused, considering what to say, "I'm...I'm with Jack, actually."

"Oh," I tried to cover up my surprise that anyone would enter into a serious relationship with an immortal like the Captain, "Does the Doctor know?"

Ianto shrugged, " _I_ haven't told him but I guess Gwen or Jack might have, or maybe he worked it out."

"I doubt it," I laughed, "He isn't very good at the whole 'human' thing," I smiled, deciding I liked Ianto; he was trustable.

**Gwen**

"Meeting aliens has opened my eyes to so much!" I felt my eyes actually widen as I said this with such conviction. I remembered some of the most terrible and wonderful things I had seen.

"I know just how you feel; the Doctor has shown me things I couldn't even dream of. Some of them are great and some are horrible," Amy shivered.

"You ever heard of a Weevil?" I asked.

"Nope, why?"

"We've got one in the basement, want to see?" I set off towards the Hub.

"You keep aliens in the basement?" Her brow furrowed sceptically.

"Wait 'till you see where we work!" I stood on the slab in the shadow of the Water Tower. "Stand on here," I smiled and she apprehensively obeyed.

I activated the lift and looked up in time to make eye contact with Jack. He did not seem at all pleased, appearing in my com with, "Who said she could go in there?"

I wasn't in the mood to argue, "I did."

"Did what?" Amy asked, then turned and saw me press my earpiece. "Oh. Sorry," She shifted awkwardly, "Oh my God! You work _here_?"

"I know, it's not very homely but-"

"It's amazing," She gawped at the Hub, a place I had once gazed wide-eyed at myself.

We headed for the cells, "Well, there's Janet."

"Janet?" She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I know. It was Jack's idea," I smiled. I had gotten used to a great many of Jack's ways but he still regularly surprised me.

"Anything else down here?" Amy paced further into the cells.

"Only a statue-thing. We carried it in this morning."

"A statue in a cell in a basement under Cardiff Bay," She mused.

"A _heavy_ statue," I corrected her, "you would have thought an angel would be a bit lighter!" I laughed and turned to Amy.

Her face was drained with colour and it stunned me into silence. Her voice shook as she spoke, "L-let me see."

"Is something wrong? Should I call Jack?" My hand made for my earpiece.

"Just...just show me."

I led her to the correct cell, watching her intently, "Creepy, isn't it?" he snarling figure didn't exactly scream good decor.

"Oh my God." Amy looked ready to faint.

"What is it? What's up?" I tried to reach her.

"This is wrong...this is so wrong," She murmured.


	10. Jack is Flirting (as per usual!)

**River**

Jack certainly wasn't the shy type! One would have thought that being as old as he was would have matured him but if his extremely flirty, if a little cheesy, approach to any and all conversation was anything to go by then it certainly hadn't.

At first his unyielding boldness and blind self-confidence had me taken aback. Especially since neither of us was single and both of us knew it. Gradually, though, I allowed myself to slip into a meaningless conversation, riddled with innuendos and flirting. Nothing was ever going to happen but that didn't stop Jack trying!

"So, married to the Doctor, eh?" Jack smirked.

"Stop it!" My husband warned from just behind the TARDIS door.

"And how long have you been listening?" I was not at all pleased; the Doctor was in one of his 'don't do human' moods and I didn't like it.

"Well, I switched off after a very disturbing story involving a stopwatch and started listening again when I heard my name," The Doctor strode out of the TARDIS.

"Doctor," Jack flashed a dashing smile, "I haven't got this lovely lady into trouble, have I? That would be-" He paused and lifted a hand to his ear, "Right. OK Gwen, we're on our way," He let his hand fall to his side, "River, Doctor, come with me," Jack had his game face on.

I couldn't resist replying with, "You'd best be careful saying that or someone could get the wrong idea," I winked at Jack before linking arms with my husband and following Jack.

"To the cells," Jack had led us to a tourist information centre.

"Here?" I was intrigued now.

Jack pressed a concealed button and the wall opened.

"Hidden door. That's original," The Doctor sarcastically criticised Jack.

"What, like your outfit?" Jack countered.

"Touché," The Doctor conceded.

The boys carried on bickering and I took the time to wonder at the sheer size of wherever we were. It was sewer-esque and decrepit but it had an underlying air of majesty, like there were a thousand untold stories within its walls.

We descended a staircase and I caught sight of my mother. I ran to hug her but the Doctor reached her first. Suddenly I saw what had put her in this state.

"Oh," I frowned, "Doctor," My voice was hollow, I knew enough of the ramifications spiralling out from what I had just seen.

"But busy comforting Amy here. Can't it wait?" He could be so annoying sometimes.

"Yes but t Doctor look!" I fought the urge to raise my voice.

"What is it?" He turned his head, "Oh."

"You recognise it?" Jack asked.

"Where did you get it?" The Doctor, still mid-hug, asked, "Oh and River,"

"Yes, Sweetie,"

"Don't blink."

**Jack**

The Doctor fired rounds of questions without pausing to breathe or to listen to attempted answers. "How did you find it? _Where_ did you find it? Why did you take it _here_?!"

I started from the very beginning, with James' phone call and the subsequent trip to London. I recounted our brief encounter with James and of Wester Drumlins house, the basement and the circle of statues.

"...and then you showed up so I left Ianto to put it in the cell." I concluded.

The Doctor's face had grown graver and graver throughout my tale, "I think you should call Ianto," He said in a hollow voice, "Tell him to bring Rory here and I'll explain it to all of you."

I obeyed.


	11. Explanations

**Ianto**

"Ianto," The voice of my lover came through my communicator, "find Rory and meet us in the cells."

"Ok, Sir," I replied.

"Don't call me 'Sir'!" He feigned offence.

"Alright..." I paused for emphasis "Sir." I quickly turned off the earpiece and smirked as I led Rory to the cells via the more impressive entrance, the Water Tower. After the inevitable gasps of awe from Rory, they were in view.

"Jack!" I beamed and sped to his side.

Amy, I noticed, was transfixed on one of the cells. My gut clenched as I remembered what I had put in that cell.

"Rory," Amy's voice shook, "look."

"Yes, father. Please look," River sounded a little agitated, "I _really_ need to blink!"

"Why don't you- oh," Rory peered over Amy's trembling shoulders, "Ok, blink now."

River thanked Rory profusely but not before blinking three or four times and resuming her stare.

"Jack, why are they-?" I was hushed by the Doctor.

"They are staring because that-" He gestured to the statue, "is a Weeping Angel."

"Blinking...now," Rory announced.

"They are extremely old," The Doctor continued.

"Victorian, I'd say." I interjected, trying to sound clever.

"Oh, a little older than that, and by a little I mean a few trillion years at least," He spoke with a grim, sober expression yet I heard Jack snigger at my massive blunder, "They were there in the Dark Times and they are intrinsically evil. They have no concept of good intentions, they are highly dangerous and they are extremely fast."

"It looks like stone to me," Gwen muttered.

"It is," The Doctor attempted to leave a dramatic pause. I bit my lip, forcing back laughter as I spotted Jack rolling his eyes at the Doctor. "while somebody's watching."

"Blinking now," River called.

"They have this sort of defence mechanisms which means they turn to stone if anyone is looking." The Doctor filled the air with tension.

"So what do they do when you aren't looking?" Jack, as always, asked the right question.

"They move," River spoke, "and fast. One touch will send you into the past and they feed off the energy of the times you would have had."

"Ouch," I stated the obvious and Jack laughed musically. I loved that laugh, it made my heart do back flips in my chest.

**Angel**

**_He knows about us,_** I thought to the group.

**_We could help you,_** One of the angels in the house replied. It sounded quieter because I was further away from my family.

**_No,_** Our leader began a lecture. While they argued, I searched our collective memory to find out what had happened since I was taken from the house.

As soon as I was taken, the angel opposite me was free. It used one arm to cover its eyes and the other to push the shoulders of our leader until the final angel was free and covering its eyes. My comrades were, at present, facing the stairs with covered eyes, deliberating silently.

**_What do you think?_** Someone asked me.

**_Erm...I-_ **

**_-Wasn't listening, obviously,_** Our leader thought.

**_I said do you think we should go over there and help you?_ **

I thought for a moment before answering **_I'm trapped at the moment but not for long. You're all hungry, though, so why not hide close to the building's entrance?_**

**_Suits me._** Hey were already moving.

**Amy**

**_They're here,_** was all I could think. Did they recognise me?

When I came to my senses I realised everyone was staring at me.

"Haven't you?" Rory asked me.

"What?" I blinked and turned to him

"-seen the angels before?"

"Y-yes. Once." I stuttered.

Rory laid a hand on my shoulder, "You've told me about them so many times, I knew what they were straight away but I've never actually met one."

A cacophonous hammering sound stunned the room into silence.

"River," The Doctor turned to her.

"Yes?" River's eyes met the Doctor's.

"Who's watching the angel?"

They slowly turned their heads towards the cell in sync. Under different circumstances this would have been comical but the sight that met them was far from funny. The angel was in a fit of rage, one fist inches from the glass cell door, the other swung back, ready to have another go.

"Jack," I called, not daring to actually look at anything but the angel.

"Yeah," His voice was inappropriately calm.

"How strong is that glass?"

"Strong enough," He answered bluntly.

I heard footsteps away from me and turned just in time to watch Jack flick the lights off.

Clattering! An ear-splitting raucous of alarming decibels filled the room as the angel resumed its attempt at escaping its cell. Gwen was shouting at Jack, asking him what the **hell** he was playing at. Somebody I really hoped was Rory was clinging to me in fearful embrace. The Doctor was screaming like a girl. More footsteps were just about audible, moving towards the light switch where Jack was. I just prayed that that person would turn the light back on!

They didn't.

We slowly calmed down and the room fell silent.

River whispered, "Listen."

We did.

"Listen to what?" The Doctor asked, "It's all silent-y."

"Exactly."

I gasped. The angel was no longer hammering on the door.

"Told you!" Jack flicked the light back on. Jack was smirking and we could all see that the footsteps before had been Ianto's and he had been moving towards Jack to hold his hand.

"Wait..." The Doctor spoke slowly, "Are you two-?"

"Yes." Jack's voice sounded colder than he had probably meant it to as he levelled the Doctor's confused gaze.

"But you- And he- What-?" The Doctor struggled to comprehend the concept of love.


	12. Jack and Ianto

**Jack**

"We'll be fine, just let it be." I told them, "Nothing can get through those and if it did then we would hear the alarms," I took Ianto and led him away. Nobody followed.

Ianto clenched his fingers in alarm, "I think I heard something," Ianto whispered, "over there by the autopsy table."

Our hands broke apart and we simultaneously pulled out our guns, holding them close to our chests and silently treading towards the sound Ianto heard.

I waved Ianto back and descended the stairs alone.

A loud clang startled me and my head whipped around towards the source. I sighed in relief as I saw that I had stepped on the scalpel tray and that was what had caused the clattering.

"That's it," Ianto hissed, "that's what I heard!"

"Relax," I didn't bother to lower my voice anymore, "it's just the medical tray. It must have fallen off the table."

Ianto let the air escape his lungs and deftly collected the equipment before I had the chance. He replaced the tray on the table and looked up. Our eyes met. We laughed nervously and returned on our original course to Jack's office.

Ianto shut the door as I took a quick look at my computer to check that everyone else was still in the cells with the angel, turning the monitor off and staring directly at Ianto, "We're all alone,"

"Yes, Sir, I suppose we are," Ianto drew himself towards me.

"We could be alone for a while," I hooked my arm around his shoulders and pulled until we were stood flushed together.

"I suppose we could," Ianto's hand found the small of my back and his other, my cheek.

"We should probably find something to do to kill all that time," I smirked, lifting my free hand to wind fingers into his hair at the nape of his neck.

"I suppose we-" He was cut short as I attacked his lips with my own.

Ianto's hand moved down my back to my thigh and I was lost to the moment. He filled all of my senses and clouded my mind as I deepened the kiss and roamed his mouth with my tongue. I was never more relaxed than with Ianto, it was like all my worries were melting and I could fly above and out of them.

My back slammed against the wall and I was pinned to it by my lover's powerful frame. I leant towards him and lowered both of my hands to his slim waist, wishing for once that the Doctor (along with everyone else downstairs, of course) wasn't there so I could have taken this further but alas, no. Ianto was groping my thigh and stroking my cheek.

Then he wasn't.

I opened my eyes suddenly to see why he had pulled away but he was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a Weeping Angel, baring its teeth with one arm outstretched, pointing to where my lover had been.

"Ianto?" I called. I could not look away for fear of freeing the monster, "Ianto!" My voice grew louder and louder as I kept shouting his name, "Ianto!" I cried in vain.

I called him on my com and heard only an artificial mirror of my voice from by my foot. I crouched and searched for the source with my eyes still glued to the angel. The earpiece was there.

I stood and called Gwen, "Get the Doctor. There's another angel here and it's taken Ianto." I struggled to keep my voice level.

"Oh my God," Gwen whispered.

"Yeah."


	13. 'Then I could think again.'

**Ianto**

I was blind, deaf and dumb to the world, only Jack remained. I was shrouded by his embrace and had no concept of where I was, what I had been doing and why. I wasn't even certain of my own name. All I could be sure of was Jack. Captain Jack Harkness with his hair so easy to run fingers through; his eyes so aged and yet ageless; his hands so warm on my skin; his mouth so enticing to capture; and his enigmatic personality, like a mystery that needed solving. Jack was the only constant in my life, a necessity. I couldn't think when he was so close.

Then I could think. Arms that had once held Jack's magnificent body were suddenly empty. I slowly allowed my arms to return to my sides and opened my eyes to see why he had stopped.

I had moved! I had literally been teleported to somewhere entirely different. It seemed familiar somehow. The wide open space I stood on was close to water; I could hear the steady lapping nearby and as I turned the niggling recognition in my mind evolved into understanding.

There was a small building site which would later produce the Water Tower on Roald Dahl Plass. I worked underneath there. I must have been taken by an Angel.

Tears pricked at my eyes. I was all alone in a foreign time period. **_Jack would know what to do,_** I thought.

I sank to the ground and sobbed. My entire being ached with longing for my... my Jack. I thought of all the things I was going to say to Jack, all the things we were going to do and all the plans we had made. What would I do if I never saw him again? How would I ever get over him? I couldn't find an answer.

"-it almost makes you want to shoot someone, doesn't it?"

I whipped around.

That voice was a voice I knew well, one which could be likened to the song of an angel, it was Jack's. He was here, in Cardiff!

He was striding across the Plass with a few people I recognised from old archive photos and he was wearing that coat. That billowing, beautiful, glorious coat. Pulling myself up from the ground, I felt my need for Jack battling with the knowledge that speaking to him could cause a paradox and potentially erase the short time I had had with him. That thought won the fight and I fled towards the Bay.

I leant back against a wall, panting. What could I do now? I needed to think like Jack. Where would he look?


	14. Back to the Hub

**River**

“Jack! Wait!” I hurtled past the Millennium Centre, tailing him extremely well considering the height of my heels.

                He kept running at full pelt for a few seconds, hesitated, and allowed me the time to catch up.

                “Thought you could use some help,” I smiled, attempting to console him.

                “Wha- err... yeah. Yeah, I could. Thanks,” Jack turned to me. He was shivering and glistening tears were dragging down his cheeks. He hung his head, cringing.

                “You’re allowed to be upset,” I rested my hand on his shoulder in a gesture of sympathy.

                He fell apart a little at my touch but then his expression hardened, “No. I’m not. I should be in there helping them contain the Angel and protecting what’s left of my team.”

                “It’s obvious you love Ianto. You don’t have to hide your emotions just because of pride.”

                Jack had visibly flinched at the word ‘love’, “I’m not proud, I’m just trying to do my job. Gwen needs me. Even if Ianto’s gone, I can still look after her.”

                “But Ianto might not be gone. He could just be trapped in the past; he’s probably trying to communicate with us right now. How would he do that? How would he try to talk to you from then?”

                “He would, erm, leave clues somewhere he thought I would look.” Jack replaced his determined, focused facade.

                “Right. Where would that be?”

                “Erm...I think... The Hub.” Jack set off swiftly towards the fountain.

 

**Ianto**

I was behind that wall for around 10 minutes, reeling from the sight of a man I knew so well yet in that moment did not even know my name. It was killing me not to go to him, to explain to him, to hold him in my arms, but how could I? I could destroy all we’d had back in my time and even threaten the very fabric of this universe, maybe others.

                “Jack!” A girl some way off shouted. She was chasing after my lover desperately, “Wait!” In a split second I decided to intercept, as I recognised her to be a former Torchwood member (well, current Torchwood member in this time period).

                But what was her name? “Emma!” I shouted, “Emma Morris!”

                She whipped her head around to stare at me and shook her cascade of ginger curls from her face. “Who are you?” She challenged.

                “Johnson, Edward Johnson. I work for Torchwood 1 on London.” I lied. I was gradually coming to terms with the fact that I had no cover story and I needed one fast. A plan fabricated in my mind: I just had to avoid Jack and get into Torchwood and then I could hop into the freezer and set to wake up within minutes of my disappearance.

                “I’m s-sorry, we weren’t expecting any visits.” She smiled warmly and fiddled with a lock of her hair childishly.

                “Oh, that’s all right, I didn’t call anyone in advance so you shouldn’t have expected me.” I debated whether or not I should explain my situation to her so she would understand why I was unable to speak to her sexy first-in-command, Jack.

                “Did you want anything in particular?” She was grinning in a feeble attempt at flirting.

                I begrudgingly decided that it was in my best interest to return the gesture, “Well,” I raised one eyebrow and gave a small smirk, putting in practise what I’d learned from being so close to Jack for so long, “I was wondering what- err- specialist equipment you have,” with every gesture I made towards her, I had to compel myself to think of Jack.

                “You could... erm... come in and see,” She gave a nauseatingly childish giggle.

                “Ahem. In all seriousness, that would be great. I’ve been ordered to ensure you haven’t been hiding any useful new technology or making any significant discoveries that we don’t know about.”

                “I don’t know of any,” She was leading me towards the (my!) Tourist Information Office, “come to think of it, our resident geek, Adam, was badgering on about some Rift formula thingy...”

                “Really?” **_This could be my ticket out of here!_** I thought.

                “Adam!” Emma yelled gracelessly, “Come here a sec.”

                “Oh, by the way,” I spoke to both Emma and a tall, young man who I recognised from the archives as Adam Carlson, “I’d be more than grateful if Jack could be kept away from me and preferably not find out I was here; we used to be- you know- together and it’d be more than a bit awkward.” As much as it pained me to say ‘used to’, I knew it was the best cover story I could have thought of.

                “Really?” Adam spoke and I noted a strong Welsh accent, “You don’t seem like his type. Not that I’ve met many of his exes because most of them are six foot under. He isn’t one for dumping after long term relationships.”

                “He must have changed. Again!” I frowned, optimistic that the resentful ex-boyfriend act would deter them from further questioning.

                “So why are you here?” Adam eyed me suspiciously.

                “Ed’s from Torchwood 1,” Emma spoke for me, “he’s been asking about your stupid Rift thing.”

                “Oh!” Adam’s eyes brightened, evidently resulting from my interest in his project, “I’ll show you!” He led me across to his desk and turned on a retro-looking computer and I followed the lines of code as they raced across the screen, “I’ve found a way that I think will let me bring things through the rift to here. The coordinates the object is in go here and the time here,” he pointed to respective # symbols, replacing numbers, “and anything within a 1.5 metre radius will be taken to you.” He grinned expectantly.

                “I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it.” I lied, I had and it had ended with Abbadon, the Great Devourer being released, along with Weevils, Vikings and the Black Death!

                “If you promise not to tell your bosses about this then I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do with it.”

                I was backed into a corner, I had to agree, “On one condition, don’t log my visit and don’t tell Jack I was here.”

                “Jack’s gone to find some reported Weevils anyway, it’s a deal.” Adam held out his hand and I shook it.


	15. Guilt and Hopelessness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since I updated! I've been seriously busy, but I've finished typing up this fic now so I just need to copy and paste up the chapters :)

**Jack**

Blinking back tears, I ransacked my office. If I had to cry, I would do so alone, away from Doctor River Song and her messed-up family. My fingers subconsciously ghosted along my cheek, which still echoed Ianto’s touch. I could imagine him there, hands on my neck, in my hair, with mine grasping his back and pressing him so close we were one being. I knew every freckle on his body and the feel of his every move against mine, right down to the sound of his breath rushing and hitching and stuttering.

                I knew him so well and yet I had no clue where he would have gone to leave clues for me. Did I really know him? I knew his body and his past but not him as a person. The way he thought and felt were as alien to me as the Doctor’s fashion sense.

                But were they?

                He would mimic me and my actions. I just had to decide where I would hide something for Ianto and that would be where Ianto, loyal Ianto, _my_ loyal Ianto, would have hidden the clue. I knew exactly where I would go.

                Firstly, I would make sure it was somewhere that was significant to both of us, somewhere we had done something significant together but that could have been any number of places: my office, his workstation, the autopsy table, the Tourist Information Office desk, and that was just in one weekend!

                It was most likely, though, that he would hide it in my room below the office, where we slept. If we slept at all...

 

**Ianto**

“I’m not supposed to use it because Jack says ‘It’s too dangerous’.” Adam impersonated Jack but wasn’t remotely accurate in the musicality of the deep, American accent.

                “He’s so stupid!” I said. **_He’s so perfect!_** I thought.

                “Can I tell you a secret?” Adam leant in to whisper to me. I nodded for him to speak, “I’m gonna use it,” He drew a breath for atmosphere, “today.”

                “What? Why?” This was a _bad_ idea!

                “I’m gonna write down the date, time and location on the Rift machine and make sure in the future I go there so I can bring myself back and prove Jack wrong!”

                “But that could create a paradox,” I needed to stop him. It would be all too easy to rip another hole in time and space or even make the Rift collapse in on itself, taking reality with it. Some paradoxes solve themselves but this was too big for that, _way_ too big.

                “So?” He challenged, his brow furrowing in suspicion.

                “I’ve heard they’re extremely dangerous, especially this close to the Rift.” How could I prevent this happening?

                “Well I can’t do it yet anyway; the signal would have to be magnified by the fountain they haven’t built yet. That’s gonna be a Rift monitor.” He was fidgeting impatiently as he spoke.

                I had to lose him but first make him give me our coordinates, the date and time, “Adam?”

                “Yes?”

                “What would you put in to take us now to somewhere? Say if somebody in the future wanted to get us there.” I asked warily.

                Adam leant over his desk, scribbling on a piece of scrap paper and muttering as he did so. His scrawl was a strange interpretation of familiar characters until the end where a large, legible number was circled, “This would be it but those numbers there are set for about 20 minutes from now, at the next hour.” He handed me the paper, “Why do you ask?”

                “No reason, just curious. Wanted to see if you could do it. I know someone a bit like you who loves a puzzle.” I smiled vaguely, allowing the cogs of my brain to whirr until I found the method best to get shot of Adam, “Are you and Emma an item?”

                “What? No! No way!” He fake-retched, “Why on _earth_ would you ask something like that?!”

                “It was just Emma talking about you earlier,” I played innocent, “It sounded like you were.”

                “Oh, I’m gonna kill her!” Adam hurtled off, presumably to find Emma.

                In a flash I was jotting down the equation with the new values added onto a fresh sheet of paper (in pencil as that lasts longer than pen). Blocking out the raised voices of Emma and Adam proved a difficult task but within 5 minutes, I had copied the full equation down and deleted the file. Now where could I put it that Jack would find when necessary but not before? I hurriedly wrote him instructions before deciding on Jack’s office.

                If I could get in, hide the papers and get out in time, and if Jack found the note back in the future, then Jack could save me!

                I ran back up to the spot I was in by Adam’s computer. I waited. If this worked, I would be taken back in 3 minutes.

                2 minutes.

                1 minute.

                30 seconds.

                5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

                Nothing.

                Tears threatened to escape my eyes; how would I live without my friends? Without my job? Without _Jack_?

                Wait, was it me or did it just get really bright in here?

 

**Jack**

My hand hovered over the enter button, no going back once I’d done it. I knew I’d do it though, it was for Ianto. I’d risk anything, even reality itself, for him.

                Enter.

                Nothing.

                What was supposed to happen? Ianto’s note hadn’t told me and I wasn’t exactly Tosh.

                My heart silently broke as the seconds went on agonizingly slowly and no sign of Ianto’s return. How could I live with myself if I never saw him again? My guilt already threatened to crush me every day but this may just be enough to take away all I had to live for.


	16. 'a pulsating sphere of liquid light'

**Ianto**

I was enveloped with light, it was all I could see. It felt like the swarming, circling, devastating winds of a hurricane were whipping and dancing around me and I was uprooted from the ground. I had to believe this was working because the alternative was unbearable.

 

**Jack**

A pulsating sphere of liquid light appeared, surrounded by darting, white orbs. There were sparks connecting the orbs like lightning bolts and the orbs were speeding up, becoming erratic and giving off more jagged paths of visible electricity. Without warning, the orbs exploded in a shower of sparks and the sphere melted away to leave the silhouette of a man there, _my_ man.

                I didn’t hesitate, I just ran to him and held him in my arms, his warmth was life-affirming. Those few hours in which the prospect of losing him was very real had incontrovertibly set the fact before me that I needed Ianto more than anyone before or again. I would not, however, lose myself in him just yet for two reasons: firstly, the others were still in the Hub and secondly, there were still Angels about.

                My world had ended when Ianto had left and restarted at triple speed when he returned.

 

**Ianto**

Neither Jack nor I was paying full attention to our embrace but nevertheless, it was brilliant to feel his mouth on mine again. I had my eyes open warily and so did Jack, he winked at me and I grinned into the kiss, guiding his mouth into a mirrored smile.

                I was the first to notice Amy and Rory enter the Hub but I wasn’t going to acknowledge that; I wasn’t going to be the one to make Jack stop doing what he was doing to me!

                “Aww!” Amy cooed at us.

                Jack attempted to peer around to see her, which set me in a fit of laughter, releasing his mouth. I kept one of his hands in mine but allowed him autonomy.

                “Where _were_ you two?” Jack asked.

                “Just... around.” Amy smiled, “We figured the Doctor would be here for a while so we went shopping, did some sightseeing and stayed out for lunch.”

                “We didn’t miss anything important, did we?” Rory enquired.

                I opened my mouth to begin recounting the morning’s events but Jack fixed me with a warning glance.

                “Nothing.” He stated forcefully, “Accept there are four Angels on the loose now, not one.”

                “What?!” Amy exclaimed.

                “There’s one in my office – Gwen and the Doctor are taking care of that one – the one downstairs – and trust me, that one isn’t going anywhere – and the Doctor says there are two more somewhere in Cardiff.” Jack explained.

                Amy gasped, “We need to find them!”

                I furrowed my brow a little, “We need to know what to do with them _when_ we find them.”

                “We could draw them together and trap them looking at each other or a mirror...” Jack suggested, thinking aloud.

                I racked my brain for a solution and one idea sprung to mind over and over, “What about the Rift equation?”

                “What about it?” Jack asked me confusedly.

                “Surely the Doctor could rearrange it to send the Angels away or something.” I explained.

                Jack grinned, grabbed either side of my head and jerked it forwards to kiss my lips, “Ianto, you’re brilliant!” He sprinted towards his office, yelling, “Doctor, Ianto’s had an idea!”

                I slowly followed, assuming it would me I who was left to watch the Angel with Gwen.

 


	17. Getting Rid of the Angels

**Rory**

“Doctor,” I called behind me, “Not to rush you or anything, but the other two are here.” I was on guard duty with Amy and we were keeping our eyes on the two Angels, one crouched behind a computer and another reaching a clawed hand towards Jack’s office door. The former was my responsibility, the latter, Amy’s, “On second thoughts, I’d like to rush you if that’s all well and good.”

                “Don’t worry, I’m nearly there!” The Doctor answered from somewhere behind me.

                Amy was struggling beside me, “Could use some help here, I really need to blink.”

                “It’s OK, Mother.” River’s voice got louder as she approached, “I’ve got it. Which are you watching?”

                “By the door, the one on the right.” Amy pointed.

                “Watching.” River assured Amy.

                “Thanks!” Amy shouted. I heard her pounding footsteps leaving towards the source of the Doctor’s voice moments ago.

                “He’d better hurry up,” I spoke unnecessarily loud, hoping the Doctor would hear, “winking alternate eyes is _really annoying_!”

                “He never was very considerate of what annoys people.” River had cottoned on to my ploy and spoke at a higher volume than I had.

                “He certainly takes his time with everything...” Jack piped up, “...and I mean _everything_!”

                “Oh, I did _not_ need to know that!” I shouted back.

                “Hey, at least you didn’t find out the hard way!” Jack emphasized the word ‘ hard’ more than he ought to.

                “Oh my God,” My wife blurted, “you haven’t?!”

                “No!” The Doctor defended himself firmly, “We most certainly _didn’t_!”

                An awkward silence hung in the air before the Doctor announced he was done.

                There was a rustling of paper and the hammering of keys, the whir of a machine and electric-y sounds like a power surge.

                The Angel was encased in a massive, brilliant-white sphere, as was River’s.

                I could hear Gwen screaming from Jack’s office.

                The spheres shrank as they writhed and disappeared.

                “It’s safe to blink now.” The Doctor stated the obvious.

                I hugged River then ran to kiss Amy.

                “Jack!” Gwen hurled herself at Jack and clung to him, “Thank God, you did it!”

                Ianto followed Gwen in embracing Jack and I could see the Doctor winding his arms around River.

                “Where did they go?” I asked.

                “No idea!” The Doctor grinned, “Come along, Ponds, and we’ll track them with the TARDIS.”

                “I think this is goodbye.” Jack said gravely.

                “Oh,” The Doctor looked deflated but he understood, for once, “Bye, then.” He smiled at the trio who made up Torchwood 3.

                Jack saluted the Doctor before hugging him. We took their lead and hugged and shook hands with everyone else as farewell.

 


	18. The End

**Rory**

Back in the TARDIS where we four (or at least them three) belonged.

                “Manhattan!” The Doctor spouted in an impromptu answer to some unasked question.

                “What about it?” I asked.

                “That’s where the Angels are. Manhattan in the 1930s.” He replied, boarding us all on his train of thought.

                “Right.” I deadpanned.

                I couldn’t think why but River was sat, melancholy, in the TARDIS’ chair and seemed close to tears.

 

**Ianto**

After one night with Jack, everything was back to normal. Not ‘Mr and Mrs Smith with 2 children in a semi-detached house with steady jobs’ normal but Torchwood normal. It was hardly surprising; that was just what we did, Gwen, Jack and I. After everything that had happened over the past few years, even losing Tosh and Owen, we always found a way to return to a pseudo-norm.

                I was sitting on the desk by the coffee machine, brewing yet another cappuccino for Jack. It was his best excuse to get me alone. Seriously, he needed to wake up and smell the coffee (as it were), Gwen knew exactly what we did (well, not exactly!) and quite frankly it was a waste of good coffee. I couldn’t complain, though; it was better than waiting in front of a screen all day.

 

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, what do you think? Reviews, both praise and constructive criticism, are much appreciated! XD If you're still reading at this point, well done! You're brilliant and it's people like you ho make people like me keep writing.  
> ~Abi x


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